George McCauleyHelena, Montana

George Metropoulos McCauley, a Greek/American potter, has had 23 solo shows and has been included in 186 exhibitions. He has taught and conducted workshops internationally. The recipient of three National Endowment for the Arts grants and the prestigious Roy Acuff Chair of Excellence for the Arts at Austin Peay State University in Clarkesville, TN, his pottery and sculpture are included in international collections in 11 countries. Among the books and periodicals to feature his work are: Teapots, 21st Century Ceramics in the United States and Canada, The Best of Pottery (editions 1 and 2), Contemporary Ceramics, Wheel Thrown Ceramics, Ceramic Sculpture: Inspiring Techniques , Glazes: Materials, Recipes and Techniques, The International Teapot Exhibition in Shanghai, 500 Vases and 500 Platters . Ceramics Monthly, The Chinese Potter’s Newsletter, Ceramics Monthly of Korea, Ceramics: Art and Perception. In 2007 he was invited as a guest of the Chinese government to lecture and exhibit in conjunction with the International Teapot Exhibition in Zhugiagiao. After returning from China he began work on his film, “Archie C. Bray Jr.: Life at the Brickyard”, which he completed in 2008. In 2009 he was chosen as one of nine ceramic artists from around the world to participate in the Kohila Wood fire Symposium in Estonia. In 2012 he traveled to Japan in order to complete work for exhibitions of his wood fired ceramics and conduct workshops. He is currently working on a film about Ron Meyers, his friend of 45 years, which will premiere in April of 2013. He maintains a studio at his home in Helena, Montana where he makes colorful earthenware pots and narrative sculpture. Along the way he has worked as a chef in a Greek restaurant, horse trainer, fulltime cowboy, concrete inspector, aluminum siding salesman, western catalog model, lifeguard and carpenter.

The sources and influences for my work are complex and varied. I grew up in a Greek- American home steeped in the mystical traditions of Greece, paralleled by life in the deep South. My first art course came during my freshman year in undergraduate school in 1967. Until that time I had not even seen a potter’s wheel. At that point my life took a most important turn. A class in ceramics set me on a path from which I have yet to deviate. I developed a strong work ethic and interest in process during my years supplementing my income as a third generation carpenter. These skills are an important component in whatever I do, whether making art, cooking, gardening, doing carpentry or just living a life. Most important, ritual, mysticism, the folk arts, my heritage as a Greek, and experiences from my travels have played an increasingly prominent role in my work. Although I am primarily a ceramic artist I work in other materials as well usually wood and metal, and typically I combine these in some fashion. Without regard to media or object, my work is a personal narrative, an expression of my feelings. While not making social commentary in an overt way there is some message to be found. I am aware that this approach is specific and not always evident to the viewer. That is, however, not a deterrent to my process. With consideration of ceramic history, the folk arts, ritual and mythology I continue to rely on my own work for inspiration.